Coin-operated vending-machine.



J. W. PATTERSON.

COIN OPERATED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.22. 1912.

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WITNESSES ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM 60.. WASHINGTON. D c.

J. W. PATTERSON.

COIN OPERATED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION EILED AUG-22, I912.

PatentedSept. 14, 1915.

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COLUMBIA PMNDGRAPH 410-, WASHINGTON. D. C.

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JAMES W. PATTERSON, OF WHITE PLAINS, YORK, ASSIGNOR AU'LOSALES GU-M ANDCHGCOLATE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COIN-OPERATED VENDING-MACHINE.

Appfication filed August 22, 1912. Seria1No.716,4'11.

To ail whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMns W. PATTERSON, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of the village of WhitePlains, county of Westchester, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful improvements in Coin-Operated Vending-Mm chines,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to coin-operated vending machines of the so-calledmagazine type in which the vendible' articles are stacked in magazinesto be ejected one 'at a time at each operation of the machine.

The object of my invention is to provide a vending machine of thisclass, having two compartments or magazines and two'inde pendentejecting mechanisms, one for each magazine, adapted to be operatedthrough the medium of a coin held on a common hand-operatedcoin-carrier. This coin-car rier is freely movable in oppositedirections and is normally disconnected from both of the ejectedmechanisms. However, when a coin is deposited in the coin-entrance slotof the machine, it finds support on the carrier which, upon operation inone direction or the other, moves the coin into engagement with one orthe other of the ejected mechanisms and actuates the same to eject apackage of goods from the associated magazine. The operation of eitherejecting mechanism has no effect upon the other. In this way thepurchaser may select from which compa'rtment the goods shall be ejected,by simply manipulating the common coin-carrier in one direction or theother.

Considered in its broad aspect, the principle of my invention may bemechanically carried out in different ways and for the sake ofillustration 1 have shown one specific form of my invention in theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a front elevation; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectionsubstantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view inelevation showing the coin-controlled mechanism; Fig. i, isaverticalcross section substantially on line H of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 shows a cross section, on an enlarged scale, on line 55 of Fig..4; and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view substantially on line 6 -6of Fig. 3.

The various operative parts of the machine are housed in a suitablecasing, com- R prising the base 1,.the back 2, the front 3,:the top 4and the sides 5. 2 may be hinged. tothe base at 6 so that readyaceessmaybe had into the interior of the casing. A suitable lock? is provided forlocking the back 2 in closed position. The front 3 is preferably ofglass or other transparent material, so that the vendible goods may "beexposed to view. The front 3 terminates at .the'bottomat 8, so as'toleave the dischargeopening for the ejected arti-- cles. 1

The machine is provided with two magaz nes in which the vendlblearticles are supported in vertlca-l stacks. These magazines may beformed in any suitable way. In the specific embodiment shown in thedrawings, each magazine comprises four upright'angle bars 10, which aresecured tothe top and base of the casing by screws 11 passing throughthe horizontal flanges 12 of the angle bars. The lowermost article ineach magazine rests upon plates 13' carried by each pair of front andrear angle bars, as shown in Figs. 5 and6. The front bars 10 of eachmagazine are provided with a pair of extensions 14- 'which carry attheir free ends the transverse guide 15, for deflecting the articletoward the discharge opening 9.

As previously stated, with each magazine is associated an independentejecting mechanism. As these mechanisms are identical in constructionand operation, a detailed description of one will be sufiicient forboth. Beneath the supporting plate 13 each magazine is provided with apair of inwardly extending brackets 16 which are "rigidly mounted on theangle bars by screws or bolts 17. Between each pair of brackets isslidably mounted theejector 18, which is at the rear end provided withaforwardly extending ejecting finger 19. The brackets 16 are at theiradjacent edges provided with slots in which the ejector. slide 18engages. The free end of the ejecting finger19 is so arrangedthat whenthe ejector slide 'is )drawn forwardly the finger engages the lowermostpackage at the rear end and pushes the same out of the magazine.

In eachpair ofbrackets'is journaled a shaft 21, on which is fixed thegear 22.

If desired the back This gear is arranged to be permanently in' meshwith the teeth 23 of the ejectorframe 27, is formed with a slotted orreslide 18, so that the rotation of the shaft 21 always causesreciprocation of the ejector slide. At its inner end the shaft 21carries the pinionQ which is rigidly fixed upon the shaft in anysuitable way. In Fig.

5 the pinionQ is shown as being provided with a sleeve 25 which is keyedto the shaft bymeans 'ofapin26. Between the two magazines is interposedan upright frame 9.7,which is provided with a pair of slotted guidestrips 28. In the slot 29 of each guide strip is mounted the slide 30provided with the rack 31, which is arranged to be 'permanently inmeslrwith the associated pinion 2d. The contractile spring secured atits lowermost end of the hook 33 of the rack 31 and at its upper end tothe lug 3 l carried by the guidest rip 28, normally holds the'rack3l inits uppermost position, as shown in Figs, i and 5. The

cessed portion which provides the coin-en trance slot 35, the coin-exitslot 36, and the intermediate chamber 37 for receiving the coin 'carrier38. A plate 39 secured to the front of'theframe 27 by screws or other.-wise,'forms the front wall of'the recessed portion in the frame 27. Thecoin-carrier 38 [comprises a disk having a pair of diametricallyopposite recesses ll for receiving 7 the deposited coins 4:2, as bestshown in Fig.

3. The coin-carrier 38' is operated from the outside of the casing bymeans of a knob 43 fixed on the'outer end of the shaft 44, which carriesat its inner end'the coin-carrier- The shaft 44 is supported by thefront 7 parts. of the ejecting mechanisms.

;The operation of my machine Wlll be clear from the foregoingdescription, and may be stated as follows: When the coin is deposited inthe entrance-slot 35 through the coin-slot provided in the plate 48, onthe top of the casing, it drops on to the coincarrier '38.] Shouldthelatter be in the position shown in Fig. 3, the deposited coin 42 atoncefalls into the upper re'cessetl. Should the recess l1 happen to beout of alinement with the slot 35, the coin will fall upon;the peripheryto the coin-carrier, and

a Will automatically drop into one of the re :cesses as the coin-carrleris rotated. Should the purchasendesire a package of goods from therightshand magazine, heturnsthe knob 43 toward the right, therebycarrying the coin. against the stud 4:5 of the righthand slide 30. Thecoin is held between the coin-carrier and the side wall of the chamber37 and as soon as it engages the stud 1-5, it forces the slide 30downwardly. This causes the shaft 21 to rotate counterclockwise (asviewed in Figs. 2 and 4), whereby the ejector slide 18 is movedforwardly, causing the finger 19 to push the lowermost packages of goodsout of the magazine. When the lowermost article is projected forwardly,the front end temporarily rests upon the transverse guide lip 15, sothat the article is tilted downwardly at its rear end as soon as theejector slide 18 retreats from under the ejected package. As the articledrops it falls upon the curved deflector 4-9 and slides down the samethrough the discharge opening 9 within easy reach of the purchaser. Thedeflector l9 may conveniently be secured to the front angle bars 10 byscrews 50 or otherwise. As the article is ejected it passes under thedogs 51 hinged at 52 to the front angle bars 10, and after it hasadvanced sufliciently these dogs drop back to prevent the article fromaccidentally moving backward. This positively prevents interference withthe descent of the next package or article of goods. As soon as the coin42 has passed the pivoted pawl 46, the latter drops back into normalposition and prevents reverse movement of the coin-carrier before thecompletion of the forward movement. The transmission ratios of the gearconnections between the slide 30 and the ejector 18 are such that themovement of the slide through the medium of the deposited coin is ofsuflicient extent to cause complete ejection of the article from themagazine by the ejecting finger 19. After the coin has fully depressedthe slide 30, it passes out of engagement with the lug 4-5 and dropsthrough the coin-exit slot 36 to the bottom of the casing behind thedeflector 49. If the purchaser desires a package of goods from theleft-hand magazine, he rotates the knob 43 toward the left, whereby theleft-hand ejector mechanism is operated in the same manner as theright-hand ejecting mechanism. It will thus be seen that a singlecoin-carrier may be operated at will to produce the discharge of thearticles from either of the compartments.

While I have herein shown and described a specificconstruction embodyingmy invention, I would have it understood that this is merely for thesake of illustration and not by Way of limitation. It is obvious thatmany changes in details may be made by those skilled in the artwithoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims. For instance, the ejecting'member may assume variousconstructions, and the operative connections between the ejecting memberand the coin-actuated lugs may be effected in other ways than that shownin the drawing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is: v a

1 In a coin-operated vending machine, a casing provided with twocompartments for holding the vendible articles in stacks, an independentejecting device associatedwith each compartment and movable'for ejectingthe articles therefrom, each of said devices being automaticallypositioned after every operation thereof to eject the next article fromthe associated magazine, and a single hand-operated coin-carriernormally disconnected from both of said devices and adapted to be freelyactuated in opposite directions for connection with either of saiddevices through the medium of the coin on said carrier.

2. In a coin-operated vending machine, the combination of acasing-provided with two compartments for holding thevendible articlesin stacks, an independent ejecting mechanism associated with eachcompartment and having means arranged below the compartment to eject thelowermost article horizontally therefrom, and a single hand operatedcoin-carrier normally disconnected from both of said mechanisms andadapted to be freely actuated in opposite directions for connection witheither of said mechanisms through the medium of the deposited coin onsaid carrier.

3. In a coin-operated vending machine, the combination of a casingprovided with two compartments for holding the ,vendible articles instacks, an independent ejecting mechanism associated with eachcompartment and having a horizontally slidable member arranged below thecompartment to eject the lowermost article horizontally therefrom, and asingle hand-operated coincarrier normally disconnected from both of saidmechanisms and adapted to be freely actuated in opposite directions forconnection with either of said mechanisms through the medium of thedeposited coin on said carrier. r I

4. In a coin-operated vending machine, the combination of a pair ofindependent ejecting mechanisms having each a member to engage and ejectthe vendible articles, and a single device normally disconnected fromboth of said mechanisms and adapted to be manually operated in oppositedirections for selective connection with either of said mechanismsthroughthe medium of the deposited coin, whereby either-ejecting membermay be operated.

5. In a coin-operated vending machine having two compartments forholding the vendible articles in vertical stacks, the combination of apair of independently movable elements, a coin-carrier rotatable betweensaid elements and normally disconnected the other of said elements andthereby operate the same, an ejectingmember associated with eachcompartment for ejecting the articles horizontally therefrom, andindepends ent operative connections between said elements and saidejecting members. a

6. In a coin-operated vending machine having two compartments forholding the vendible articles in stacks, the combination of twoindependently reciprocable slides,-an ejector associated with eachcompartment for ejecting the articles therefrom, independent meansforconnecting each of said ejectors with one of said slides, a rotatablecoin-carrier arranged to operate between said slides, a projection oneach slide arranged in the path of movement of the coin on the carrier,so that when the carrier isrotated in one direction the coin actsuponthe projection of one slide, while reverse rotation of thecoin-carrier causes the coin toact upon the projection of the otherslide, and

means on the outside of the machine for manually operating saidcoin-carrier.

7. In a coin-operated vending machine, a casing having two compartmentsfor holding the vendible articles in stacks, independent mechanismassociated with each compartment for ejecting the articles therefrom,means whereby each of said mechanisms is automatically positioned afterevery operation thereof to eject the next article from the associatedmagazine, a hand-operated member adapted to receive the deposited coinsand normally out of operative connection with both of said mechanisms,said member being mounted mid-way of said magazines and at all timesfreely operable in opposite directions toward one magazine or the otherto carry the deposited coin into contact with either of said mechanismsfor operating the same, and a coin guide or passage for directing thedeposited coin into position on said hand-operated member.

8. Ina coin-operated vending machine, a casing having two compartmentsfor holding the vendible articles in stacks, independent mechanismassociated with each compartment and. having means to eject the articlestherefrom, a single hand-operable member common to both of saidmechanisms and at all times out of contact therewith, said member beingadapted to receive coin thereon. 9. In a c01n-operated vending machine,a

casing provided with two compartments for holding the vendible articlesin stacks, a

-p'airof independently movable members adapted to be engaged by thedeposited coin and thereby operated, a single coin-carrier mounted tooperate between said members and freely rotatable in opposite directionsto carry the deposited coin into engagement with one or the other ofsaid members, an independent ejecting mechanism associated with eachcompartment, and operative connections between each of said ejectingmech anisms and the corresponding coin-actuated member. v

10. In a coin-operated vending machine, the combination of aicasingprovided with two compartments for holding'the vendible articles instacks, an independent ejecting mechanism associated with eachcompartment, a single hand-operated coin-carrier normally disconnectedfrom both of said mechanisms and adapted to be freely actuated inopposite directions for connection with either of said mechanismsthrough the medium of the deposited coin on the car- I rier, and meansfor automatically returning each of said ejecting mechanisms to normalposition after every operation thereof, so that said mechanisms may eachbe operated repeatedly without manual resetting to eject the articlesone by one from said magazines.

11. In a coin-operated vending machine, a pair of horizontally slidableejectors movable independently of each other, a pair of verticallyslidable members mounted independently of each other and each connectedwith one of said ejectors, and a rotatable element mounted between saidmembers and at all times freely rotatable in opposite directions tocarry the deposited coin into engagement with one or the other of saidmembers to actuate the same and thereby operate the connected ejector.

12. In a Coin-controlled mechanism, the combination ofa plurality ofindependently operable shafts, an actuating member connected witheachshaft, and a single handoperated coin-carrier normally disconnected fromall of-saidmembers and adapted to be operated for selective connectionwitheither of said members to cause actuation of the connected shaft. i

13. In a coin-controlled mechanism, the combination of a pair ofhorizontal shafts operable independently of each other, a verticallyslidable member operatively connected with each shaft,'and means forcarrying a deposited coin into engagement with either of said members toactuate the same and-thereby operate the connected shaft, said means atall times being out of engagement with said members. I

14:. In a coin-operated vending machine, a casing provided with twomagazines for containing the vendible articles, a pair of re- 'Gopies ofthis patent may be obtained for ciprocating slides for respectivelycontrolling the discharge of the articles from said magazines, aprojection on each of said slides, a coin-passage arranged between saidslides, a rotatable disk mounted to operate in said coin-passage forreceiving the deposited coin, said disk being freely rotatable inopposite directions to move the coin into engagement with the projectionof one slide or the other, and means extending from said disk to theoutside of the casing for manually operating said disk.

15. In a coin-operated vending machine, a plurality of compartments forcontaining the articles to be vended, mechanism for each of saidcompartments for directly causing the articles to be dischargedtherefrom successively, a hand-operated part adapted to receive and.move the deposited coin and arranged out of operative connection withsaid mechanisms, and a coin-guide for guiding a coin to saidhand-operated part and permitting said coin to be moved thereby intocontact with either of said mechanisms and operate same for dischargingthe articles.

16. In a coin-operated vending machine, a casing provided with aplurality of compartments for holding the vendible articles, devices forseparately discharging the articles from the respective compartments andwholly inclosed within said casing, a coinguide within said casinghaving a plurality of passages leading to said devices, a rotary partadapted to receive a deposited coin and move it into either of said coinpassages into contact with the associated device for causing thedischarge of the desired articles, and a hand-operated member extendingfrom the outside of the casing to said coin-receiving part for operatingthe same.

17 In a coin-operated vending machine, a casing provided with a pair ofcompartments for containing the vendible articles, independentself-resetting mechanism associated with each compartment for ejectingthe articles therefrom, a single hand-operable device arranged at thefront of said casing and extending through the front wall to theinterior thereof, said device being freely movable in oppositedirections and provided with a coin-moving part for moving the coin intocontact with either of said mechanisms, and means for guiding thedeposited coins to said coin-moving part.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 9 day of August A.D., 1912.

JAMES W. PATTERSON.

Witnesses:

A. J. EWING, JAs. H. SIMPSON.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. 0.

